David Duffy jailed for criminal organisation offence in Kinahan plot

This report is a localnews.ie summary based on public court reporting and records; sources are listed below.

David Duffy was sentenced at the Special Criminal Court to six years’ imprisonment, with the final year suspended, for a criminal organisation offence. The proceedings were reported on 30 July 2021.

Duffy pleaded guilty in April to having knowledge of a criminal organisation and participating in or contributing to activities connected with the murder of James Gately, intending to enhance the ability of the organisation or its members to commit that serious offence. The charge covered conduct within the State between 7 December 2016 and 6 April 2017.

Presiding judge Tony Hunt said Duffy had provided logistical support to the group. He had been involved in booking flights to and from the UK, sourced a vehicle and tracker devices, and was involved in the planned cleaning of a car of fingerprints. The judge said Duffy’s role was limited to logistics and that he had not directly participated in surveillance of Gately’s car.

The court heard that Imre Arakas had been brought to Ireland on 3 April 2017 to target Gately, but gardaí intercepted him before he could carry out the contract. Arakas was jailed for six years in December 2018 after pleading guilty to conspiring with others to murder Gately in Northern Ireland between 3 and 4 April 2017.

Justice Hunt set an eight-year headline sentence and discounted a quarter for Duffy’s early guilty plea. He also took account of Duffy’s employment record and the possibility of rehabilitation. He suspended the final year of the resulting six-year sentence and ordered Duffy to engage with probation services during that year after release. Duffy was also ordered to be of good behaviour for three years after release and enter a €100 bond.